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Manicure Monday: OPI DS Magic

9:00 AM

Hey everyone! Today's Manicure Monday is a perfect addition to the cool Fall weather and rich jewel tones that go with this season's trends. No, I'm not talking about another burgundy but instead I wanted to share a vibrant blue that I have really been loving on my nails. OPI DS Magic is from the "designer series" of OPI which tends to have unique shimmer and holographic finishes, and Magic definitely falls into that category.

The story behind obtaining this particular polish is an interesting one because it's actually a lucky find through roadtripping in Colorado. We came across a little nail store next to an Asian supermarket which had wholesale nail items including all manner of nail art, refill bottles of my trusty Seche Vite, and row after row of discounted OPI polish. Anyone who is interested in nail polish probably knows that Designer Series polishes usually run around $12 USD (pricier than typical OPI bottles at $8) but I believe I snagged this for around $6!

This particular sapphire blue is unique in my collection since it gives off a hot pink microshimmer that comes out in certain lights. This creates a really lovely purple glow that is an intriguing contrast to the dark base which is deep but not so dark that it looks black. The overall effect is actually quite vibrant and oogle-worthy.

All OPI DS polishes are denoted by a silver cap. Here you can see the slightly duochrome shimmer in the bottle which is so pretty. It's too bad you can't see the yellow/green spectrum on the nail but I can still appreciate it in the bottle.

I applied a base of CND Stickey Base and 4 thin very coats of OPI DS Magic with Seche Vite top coat. Because the first coat went on so sheerly, I knew I didn't want to glob on the polish too heavily although each layer dried quickly. By coat 3 the polish had good coverage with very slight VNL (visible nail line) so I did one more thin coat for complete opacity. It was not a "frustrating 4" if you know what I mean. ;)

Since I keep mentioning brushes, I have to bring up the fact that OPI's flat wand, curved-edge brushes are a joy to use and make applying polish a breeze. The wear on this polish has been pretty amazing as well with no chips after a week save one corner of a thumbnail that broke from a fun accidental table-slam. Nail growth and minimal tip wear have me convinced that I should add more OPI to my collection! There's nothing worse than dark polish with chips, and you won't have that problem with Magic.

Overall I am super satisfied with this polish and am happy to have rekindled my love of blues again!

Do you like wearing blue polish? What season do you usually wear this type of color? Have you tried any of the OPI DS polishes before? Let me know in the comments!

Oooh Jen, this polish is SO pretty! And speaking of flat brushes, I'm kind of insane about the Rimmel polishes for precisely that reason--the wonderful flat brushes that make it so easy to apply! What are your opinions of the OPI base and top coat? I bought the two yesterday after going through a duel Sally Hansen top/base coat bottle but I wanted to branch out to actual separate base and top coats.

I haven't tried OPI's base and top coats but I've heard really good things about their base coat in particular. I do know that generally using base and top with the same branded polish will tend to work best together since the formulas are made to work together (I picked this up from using spray paints for Industrial Design projects where they always said to stick to all 1 brand if you can). If I try it out I'll review it!

I love it! ... on you. :P I really love TARDIS-blue, especially in formats that make it easy to put everywhere, like nail polish! But blue just doesn't work on me. My favourite colour, and totally does not work. x.x Thus, why I have one or two nail polishes that I bought and never wear.

What I end up doing, usually, is making magnets or something with the colours I love. Flat-back glass cabs, nail polish, something to seal it with, strong* epoxy glue, and strong magnets = custom coloured pretties for the fridge. And when the cats knock one off and it breaks, time for another one! Retrieve the magnet part and start again!

About me

Hi, I'm Jen! I've been blogging and making youtube videos since 2008 and have loved encouraging others to feel beautiful in their own skin ever since. I hope you enjoy my beauty tips and reviews, style inspiration, and a bit of my life as a wife and mother!